Aschenputtel
by WashiStar
Summary: Eren's mother died. His father remarried. Now, he's treated like a slave. Will he ever find his prince charming? Cinderella AU


Oops. Sorry. Instead of finishing the chapters for my other stories, I started another one. Yayyy... (Fml.)

This is a spin off the Cinderella fairy tale. It's going to be a mash up of the different versions with some alterations on my part.

I apologize for any viewing inconveniences if you tried to read this when I first posted it. The site was giving me some trouble so I took it down and re-posted it now.

* * *

He sat still at the foot of her grave. Every day without fail he would come visit his mother, bringing a colorful bouquet of wild flowers that he had picked in the meadow. His fingers trailed along her tombstone, gently caressing her name on the rough slab, and brushed off any traces of dirt.

"Hello, _mutti_," he smiled sorrowfully through tears. "How are you today?"

A dove had landed atop the stone and with a tilted stare cheerfully chirped at him.

Eren chuckled at the bird's carefree nature and wiped his eyes with his tattered sleeve. "Mmm…I'm glad you're doing well. Me? I'm, ah, well…I'm managing to pass the days. Sometimes it's a bit hard dealing with stepmother and her daughters but I bear with it."

He pressed his lips to the top of her grave marker and stood up, brushing the dirt off his knees.

"Don't worry, though," he sighed wistfully, "I'll be fine."

Giving her one last glance, he turned and traveled deeper into the forest to collect some firewood. He spent a good hour chopping logs until his arms ached and hands were rubbed raw from the rough handle of the axe. Once satisfied with the amount he had, he carefully piled them in his strapped wicker basket.

"Alright," he muttered to himself, picking up the basket, "heave-ho!"

* * *

The logs were painstakingly stacked and stowed in the back shed. Gingerly he picked up each piece, minding his sore fingers. One of the logs was particularly jagged, causing a splinter to dig into his skin.

"Shit!" he cursed, snatching his hand away.

His action only caused the sliver to bury itself deeper into his finger.

"Ugh, god damn it," he groaned. _As if I didn't already have enough crap thrown in my face._

Quickly, he yanked the splinter out, and at the same time, the wooden door to the shed slammed shut. Swiveling around, he ran to the door, trying at the handle. The door refused to budge. He heard malicious laughter and the sound of departing footsteps on the other side.

Banging as hard as he could on the door, he cried out, "Help, please! Open the door! Someone, help!"

He knew his calls were useless. There was no one around that would assist him for his father was out on a trip, but he couldn't help but try anyway. Though, even if he were here, Eren doubted that man would even notice that he was missing. He punched until his knuckles were bloody and kicked until his already worn shoes were completely wrecked.

"Please..." he sobbed, "Let me out…I'm scared…I'm scared of tight spaces…"

He crawled to a corner of the room and curled up into himself, hiding his face between his knees. Time seemed to pass indefinitely, but he knew night had fallen, because the temperature had dropped to the point where he could see his breath in visible white puffs.

Shivering, he coiled himself into a ball and rubbed at his arms to try and alleviate the cold. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until he felt himself being yanked up from the hard, bone-chilling ground.

Dazed, he could only stare as his father scolded him. _Ah, he returned. _

"Eren! We were looking everywhere for you! Your mother and sisters are very furious at you. Because you decided to hide away in this shed, they had no dinner to eat. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Eren opened his mouth to answer but he couldn't get his teeth to stop chattering, preventing him from giving a coherent reply.

His father huffed. "Well, no matter. Just don't do this again, you hear me?"

He simply nodded and allowed his father to drag him back to the house. Upon entering, he saw his two stepsisters sitting on the lounger laughing and whispering to themselves, staring at him all the while.

_Of course._ Who else could it have possibly been?

Making his way into the kitchen, he went to the sink and washed the blood off his hands, wincing at the stinging sensation. Though feeling slightly lightheaded, he started his daily routine of preparing breakfast, grabbing some bread and toasting it in the old brick oven.

Getting some vegetables, he began chopping them, ignoring the throbbing pain in his knuckles every time he curled his fingers. Eggs mixed with vegetables were quickly fried and plated and the warmed bread was placed alongside the rest of the food.

"Breakfast is ready!" he called out.

He took a small piece of bread for himself and a tiny portion of eggs and hurriedly ate it before the others came.

His step-mother Elena entered first, glaring at him as he shuffled to pull out a chair for her. She was followed by his father and then her two daughters Isabel and Hitch. Eren honestly did not know what his father saw in the woman. She was the complete opposite of his gentle and beautiful mother. But, as long as his father was happy he would endure whatever he had to.

The girls came in 'ooh-ing and ah-ing' about the jewels and necklaces his father brought back for them from his journey. They made sure to discreetly kick him in the ankles as they passed by. He faltered slightly, but swiftly regained his posture, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

Grisha noticed him standing away from the table. "Ah, Eren. Finished eating? Here," he passed him a potted hazel-bush, "I found this during my travels and bought it for you. I thought you might like it."

What was he going to do with a plant? "Oh…thank you, father." He supposed he could plant it at his mother's grave.

As he moved to leave, his father spoke up. "Eren, I believe we're a bit low on food supplies. Go to the market and pick up some things."

* * *

With his bare hands, he shoveled out dirt next to her gravestone and planted the bush there. He knew his hands were crying out in pain, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered, right? What more did he have to live for?

His entire body was wracked with wet, heavy sobs as he was hunched over the plant, bawling his eyes out. No, he didn't want to die though. He still wanted to see the world. There were so many things he had yet to experience.

He stayed there weeping, his tears dripping off the leaves of the plant, until no more water slipped from his eyes.

* * *

The marketplace was always bustling, people every which way bartering and trading with merchants. It was one of the few places he actually enjoyed because he liked seeing the interaction between other people.

Caught up in his musing, he hadn't noticed the child in front of him and accidentally bumped into the kid. His hands reached out to steady the little girl.

"Ah, sorry about that." He gave her a small smile.

"S'okay, mister." She grinned widely at him before running off to her mother, who scooped her up into her arms.

Eren unconsciously listened in to their conversation.

"Be more careful!"

"I know, I know. Sorry, mommy."

She sighed, "I just don't want my little baby hurt."

He turned his head and started walking away. The two reminded him of his mother and him and it made him slightly more depressed than he already was, knowing that he would never be able to experience that love again.

Hannes greeted him when he arrived at the man's stall.

"Hey, kid! How've you been?" He peered at Eren. "Hm...you look a bit pale. You feeling okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Great." He hoped he hadn't sounded sarcastic. "Just a bit tired, is all."

"Alright, if you say so. So then, what can I getcha?"

"Um," he thought for a moment, "I need a bag of flour, a dozen eggs, and any fresh fruits and vegetables you have."

"Sure, kid. Coming right up." Hannes shuffled to gather and bag the items.

Eren paid for the things and started home. The street in front of him seemed to undulate with every step he took. _Crap._ He must be feeling a lot worse than he had previously thought.

It'd probably be best that he take a shortcut home. He swerved into an alleyway and the farther he went down it, the more the walls appeared to close in on him. _Ah, god damn it! _He was in no mood to deal with mind tricks. Pumping his legs as fast as he could, he swung around a corner, only to bump into something that felt akin to a wall.

Falling back, he cursed profusely, and his swearing was met with similar profanities.

"Fucking shit! God damn it, watch where the hell you're going, asswipe!"

Christ, all he did was accidentally run into the person. They didn't have to curse him out like that.

_Ugh._ His head was pounding. He was most definitely in no mood to deal with other people yelling at him when he could barely think or see straight.

_Just apologize, Eren, and you can go on your merry way. _Rubbing his eyes, he mumbled, "Sorry, didn't think anyone would be there."

"You better be damn sorry. Do you have any idea who I am?" the person hissed.

Eren squinted his eyes at the form in front of him, trying to get his vision to focus. "Um, no, I don't think I know you."

He attempted to pick himself off the floor, but ended up stumbling into the person. He had expected to be shoved back to the ground, but an arm snaked around his waist, keeping him upright. An apology was tried, but he no longer had any control over his body, let alone the ability open his mouth.

His body slumped against the stranger's, and he reveled in the warmth that emanated from the person. He tried his best to stay awake. Truly, he did. But, the body heat soothed his senses, and he allowed himself to be lulled into a peaceful oblivion.

* * *

Whelp. There it is. Will I bring myself to continue it? I hope so. This is just kind of an intro. Hopefully there will be more 'action' in the later chapters.

Anyway, thanks for reading.


End file.
